Mariton: Name this Wildflower

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

This wildflower is quite abundant right now all over our region… but I bet very few people take a moment to examine it.  I’ve purposely taken the photo without other clues to its identification.  Each individual flower is about 1/8 inch wide, has five petals, and is very beautiful under a hand lens.  This is a very small, delicate wildflower that can be found all over.  Try to guess before scrolling down for the answer.

This is the flower of Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans or Rhus radicans ).  This flower will produce white berries that are an important wildlife food during the winter when other foods are hard to find.  While it can be very troublesome for humans, it doesn’t bother birds, deer, squirrels or other wildlife.